X-Men:
First Class is a
prequel film that takes
place a few decades before the events that occurred in Bryan Singer's X-Men and X2: X-Men United. The story
reintroduces the origin of Magneto as a
child and gives a more thorough understanding of the character.
Likewise, the
youthful Professor X (Charles Xavier) is brought forth and viewers get
a chance
to see the beginnings of a gifted leader. Viewers are also given an
early
glimpse of Mystique and the back-stories behind several X-Men
characters never
before seen in the film franchise. Over the course of the film the
story
unfolds with these characters as young adults: Xavier (James McAvoy),
Erik
(Michael Fassbender), and Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) are given the
proper screen
time for their characters stories to be properly told and in a
dramatically relevant
way. With a backdrop of real-world politics and government during the
1960's
(altered at some points for storytelling effect) X-Men:
First Class also features Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) as a man
determined
to begin another world war that these X-Men must unite against in order
to save
the world.

X-Men and X2: X-Men
United were both incredibly entertaining and rewarding cinematic
experiences
that managed to satisfy audiences with intelligent storytelling,
direction, and
superb craftsmanship. Bryan Singer was the perfect choice as the
film-maker to
bring the franchise to audiences worldwide. Then something seriously
unfortunate
happened: the X-Men series began to irritate almost everyone... the comic
books
fans, film buffs, and regular multiplex attendees. X-Men:
The Last Stand opened worldwide to decidedly mixed results.
The franchise seemed to have forgotten what made the stories so
compelling and
refreshing to moviegoers in the first place. Luckily, the studio
listened to
the fans and delivered the follow-up... X-Men
Origins: Wolverine? The series was seemingly heading nowhere and
fast. The
X-Men film franchise seemed to be heading in a direction that wasn't
going to
satisfy most fans (whether they were readers of the comics or only
viewers of
the feature films).

X-Men:
First Class is a
solid return to form for the
series and it is actually on-par with the first two X-Men feature
films. X-Men: First Class is even superior to
them in many regards. The direction is incredible, the writing equally
important, the acting never misses a moment, and the production design
outdoes
anything found in any of the previous
X-Men outings.

The
script for the film was written by Matthew
Vaughn, Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, and Jane Goldman. The
foundations of
the entire film rest on the story and whether or not audiences will
consider it
one worth being told. Looking back at X-Men:
The Last Stand the largest problem was not the direction (although
Bett
Ratner is certainly no Matthew Vaughn or Bryan Singer) but the fact
that it
completely ignored the foundations of the storytelling in place
throughout the
first two efforts. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
was no different and it was simply built around a weak foundation. X-Men: First Class has a genuinely
impressive script that understands well-written characters and a
meaningful
story arrives before the action.

Matthew
Vaughn (Stardust,
Kick-Ass) has outdone himself with
this film and has surprised audience expectations by offering us his
best
effort to date. There is a sense of seriousness behind the story and
the
directorial execution that seems more evocative of a dramatic film than
a comic
book based film. Vaughn has successfully joined fellow-filmmaker
Christopher
Nolan as a true pioneer of the medium; as someone who can understands
that
comic books don't have to be turned into watered down examples of
non-stop
explosions or action when what is really important is that the stories
are
fundamentally compelling and about human issues
that are relevant to us all. Bryan
Singer understood how to craft stories in this way as well but to some
degree
Vaughn has stepped up the task and made X-Men:
First Class the most thoroughly compelling film in the series thus
far. In
both the script and direction Matthew VaughXavin places the importance
on more
than mere set pieces. He understands a good story in script, how to
visualize
it, and how to bring forth amazing performances from the actors he
works with.

The
performances are amazing and largely because the
casting was strong in the first place. James McAvoy and Michael
Fassbender had
huge shoes to fill in performing characters that were previously
performed by
Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Surely a daunting task for both of
them, but
one that was pulled off magnificently by performing the same characters
while
offering unique spins in their performances. James McAvoy and Michael
Fassbender might not look like a young Patrick Stewart or Ian McKellen
but they
capture the essence behind the characters previously portrayed in X-Men. Relative newcomer Jennifer
Lawrence (Winter's Bone) also manages
to bring a great performance as Raven/Mystique -- one that demonstrates
her
immense talent and that should suggest that she will receive many more
interesting
roles in the future. Kevin Bacon (who is probably the biggest name
actor in the
entire production) excels as Sebastian Shaw and delivers one of his
best
performances in years. January Jones (Mad Men) and Rose Byrne (Damages)
also
give notable supporting performance as Emma Frost and Moira MacTaggert
respectively
in a superbly rounded out cast consisting only of talented actors.

The end
result of X-Men: First Class is a surprising
return-to-form for a film franchise
that was almost entirely out of steam. The production work is some of
the best
of the year, the score is intense, performances are strong all around,
and the
script/direction makes this a film that stands out as one of the best
of the
entire year and certainly a top contender for the best film of the
summer.

The
Blu-ray:

Video:

X-Men:
First Class arrives
on Blu-ray with a
stunning High-Definition presentation that accurately represents the
theatrical
exhibition in the aspect ratio 2.35:1. The image is smooth, crisp, and
the
colors are accurate and visually stunning. The cinematography appears
to be
well represented as well. Fans will be pleased with the nearly-perfect
PQ. Problems
such as edge-enhancement, DNR, and over-saturation in the color
department don't
appear to have any place on this high quality release. X-Men:
First Class is 1080p, AVC-encoded (at an average bitrate of 23
MBPS), and perfectly
satisfactory in the video department.

Audio:

The
audio presentation is incredible with an
absolutely stellar 5.1 surround sound DTS-HD Master Audio track that
delivers a
sonically powerful and potent experience. The dialogue remains crisp,
clear,
and easy to follow throughout. Meanwhile, the sound effects often bring
the
experience to even greater heights with every element immersive,
impressive,
and worthwhile. X-Men: First Class on
Blu-ray also includes French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby
Digital, and
English 5.1 Dolby Digital (Descriptive Audio). Optional subtitles are
included
in English SDH (for the deaf and hard of hearing) and Spanish.

Extras:

There
are some absolutely stellar bonus materials on
this Blu-ray release. No commentary tracks are included (which may
disappoint
some fans) but the lack of one isn't that missed when one considers the
detailed and enthralling Children of
the Atom documentary which is going to satisfy fans of X-Men: First Class with its plentiful
supply of informative material.

Before
noting each on-disc extra it is worth noting
that a Digital Copy is included with the Blu-ray and that there
is a
short Digital Copy "How To" video-guide available on the
Blu-ray disc.

X
Marks the Spots (19:55)
is a short collection of featurettes about
different sequences in the film and how they came into fruition. Each
piece
offers a pleasant and informative vibe with good behind-the-scenes
footage and
interviews. It almost feels as though these extras could have been
integrated
in to the main documentary feature but it probably would have had some
kind of effect
on the pacing (which is likely the main reason these segments are
spotlighted
here). Some highlights of the footage include a piece exploring the
early
scenes in the film and how the production crew approached recreating
the
opening moments with Erik (as seen in the first X-Men film); how the
sets were to
recreate the time and place. It was fascinating to hear Bryan Singer
note how
he had initially thought the crew had pulled up the original X-Men
dailies when
he first saw the footage. It was also great to see a segment on the
cameo
return of Rebecca Romijn (Mystique) and how it was possible to create
the
moment in the film. There is also an interesting piece that examines
how the
opening/ending credits sequences were created and the vision Matthew
Vaughn
brought towards that element of homage to many classic genre pictures
(including the legendary James Bond films with credit sequences the
filmmaker
was particularly impressed with).

Here
is a list of the segments in sequential order: Erik in
Auschwitz, Charles Meets Raven, Mr. Howlett Declines, Mindscape,
Emulsional
Journey, Rebecca's Return, Cuban Beach Pre-Viz Sequence, Retro Cool.
Each piece
covers a different element of production. These segments can be viewed
as a "play
all" feature or as integrated behind-the-scenes videos shown next to
the corresponding
scenes in the actual film (during a viewing of X-Men: First Class).

Composer's
Isolated Score 5.1 Dolby Digital is
exactly as
it sounds. This bonus feature provides fans an opportunity to listen to
the complete
score by itself (without sound effects or dialogue) and it is a great
opportunity to listen to the subtle nuance of the music as well as to
marvel in
how the score fundamentally makes a huge difference in the atmosphere
of the
film. This is the kind of extra that more Blu-ray releases should
contain. It's
exactly the kind of supplement that score lovers appreciate and it can
be a
learning tool for movie fans who aspire to make films. The only
drawback is the
lack of a lossless high-resolution audio option but it's hard to find
much
fault with the option for the standalone score nonetheless.

Cerebro:
Mutant Tracker is a
neatly edited collection of short videos on characters
in the X-Men feature films. As the main stylized video begins viewers
select a
character (use the enter button on your remote) and a clip for the
highlighted
character will begin. While these clips are pretty entertaining it's
hard to
see that much of a point behind the feature besides emphasizing to fans
that
the other X-Men films are available on Blu-ray to own. This is still a
cool
feature for fans and is worth checking out at least once.

Children
of the Atom (1:09:49)
is the incredibly well made feature-length
documentary covering the making of X-Men:
First Class. It is broken down into several segments (much like the
X Marks
the Spot) with decent length coverage of various production elements.
It covers
a lot of ground (such as the planning stages of the production and how
Bryan
Singer was originally attached to direct). The documentary details
Matthew
Vaughn's association with the franchise and how he was initially
attached to
the third X-Men film before leaving the project. There is a lot of
great information
given on how the script evolved over time. The documentary has a ton of
interview material that really delves into the project from the
planning stages
to the actual filming. Matthew Vaughn gives some great insight into his
vision and
approach to the film. Some of the elements of production covered
include the
music (highlighting the wonderful optimism, enthusiasm, and energy of
the composer),
how a great musical cue became even stronger with the help of the
director's
input, the casting decisions regarding characters (and the emphasis on
focusing
on a largely unknown cast), the make-up decisions (such as the
authenticity of
Beast's animalistic blue-hairdo or the full-body paint used to create
the look
of Mystique), the large scale of stage design used, and even more areas
of
production. It's reasonably comprehensive and it is never boring. Not
even for
a second. Any fan of X-Men: First Class
will want to watch the documentary and that's an impressive
accomplishment.

The
segments (in sequential order): Second
Genesis, Band of Brothers, Transformation, Suiting Up, New Frontier: A
Dose of
Style, Pulling Off the Impossible, and Sound and Fury.

Deleted
Scenes (14:07)
offers viewers thirteen scenes in total
(some of which are merely extended sequences). There were a few scenes
that
were particularly interesting and may have been worth seeing in the
final cut
but for the most part it is clear why the footage is included in the
supplemental section of the home media release and not in the actual
film. Most
of the footage feels unnecessary to the scope of the film and would
have slowed
down the impressive pace established and maintained by X-Men:
First Class.

Final
Thoughts:

X-Men:
First Class is
first-class entertainment
(pardon the pun). This is one of those rare summer blockbusters that
understands how good storytelling and solid craftsmanship are the most
important elements in making a worthwhile film experience and Matthew
Vaughn
confirms his excellence as a go-to filmmaker with immense talent. The
Blu-ray
PQ/AQ is impressive to behold and the supplemental features are solidly
well-made
and engaging. Highly Recommended.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema, and a student who aspires to make movies. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.